Phronemophobia's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[Before the presses came in]

"I did try choosing other zones besides Green Hill Zone since people seem to hate that zone apparently"

From the Sonic rabbit hole of YT videos I fell into a long while back, it seemed less like people hated the zone and more like they have growing tired from seeing it. The series has introduced its fans to a wide variety of locations over the last couple of decades yet officially it seems like only IDW Publishing bothers to acknowledge them once in a while in the comics. Fan art isn't much better. Green Hill Zone is just what most artists default to whenever they want to draw more of the Hedgehog. It's easy. It's eye-catching. It's what casual fans will immediately recognize.

On to the drawing, it's pretty obvious where the initial effort went (even if I didn't know this was one of your pieces). It's near-impossible not to be immediately drawn toward Vector as the sights of Tails in a hurry, Sonic resting, and the smaller animals (especially the flickies) are not all that uncommon to find. Charmy wanting to be a little mischievous here is appreciated, too, but it really is difficult not to focus on the croc. I love how you can keep producing fan art of this series and Vector frequently ends up looking like the main protagonist regardless of any other characters you add to it. Sonic and Tails are here, but, once again, they come across as the sidekicks in your works.

ICam2k responds:

I have to admit, I'm not particularly that active in the Sonic fandom (I know, crazy) so I can atleast excuse myself that I got that impression.
I guess part of the reason why Green Hill Zone is often picked is not just because it's the first level (although I feel that's besides the point) but also because it looks stylistically pleasing in its own way. The checkered soil, the stripes showing the rustling movement of the grass (all in which looks like those grasses used in football terrains), the palmtrees and flowers that have that "papercraft" look, and most notably the presence of loops, are attention grabbers. They've got the aesthetic that feels exotic, whimsical and yet captivating. Elements that are fairly exclusive to Sonic's world... that's just my explanation though and it probably is just SEGA and the fanartists playing safe. I can even admit that I'm part of the problem. heh
I admittedly do kind of wish that the other locations would get more screetime besides that zone, but it's nothing for me to get upset over. Besides, the games that have these are still around thanks to ports and remasters.

Dang, I didn't intend to make the headphones croc steal the spotlight from the blue blur. Then again, I did draw this feller countless times to the point that I've come to terms with the fact that I'm a "Vector fanartist", as much as I try drawing other stuff.

[A picture of a flower]

Oh, you were going for an old photograph? I figured this was done in B&W as a reference to Super Mario Land being on the original Game Boy.

As much as I should love seeing a tomboy in her swimsuit, something seems off about the bottom half of the body. It might just be due to its comparison to the super-thin waist attached to it. Not sure. Aside from that, Daisy has a wonderful smile, and the entirety of the Muda Kingdom background is treat to look over. The yurarins are especially cute.

ICam2k responds:

It technically does reference the colour limitations that the Gameboy had (even though the original model that the game released on actually supported green colours instead of B&W) but I also noted how Daisy once had longer hair compared to now. I like to think that there's a "passing time" theme going on, even though such changes may not be drastic.
Yeah, I can't blame you, even I noticed that. Maybe I got better with this afterwards, but I'm pretty much aware that not everything can be perfect, as expressive my art style can be.
At first I didn't care about the yurarins until I found out that there were art made for all the characters, including the enemies (the manuals were soo fun everytime they had these). They're very cute indeed.

[A walk only professionals know]

"Again, this one is rough and the movements don't quite match as I hoped to be..." You gotta remember that the movie had more people and money behind its creation. One of the reasons it was so popular was due to how fantastic the animation is so it sets a relatively high bar that would require much more time and effort to faithfully recreate the meme. You don't have time for that. You're just one Cami... or is "cami" the plural form? Wait, is a singular "cami" called a "camus?" Either way, you've done more than enough with all three here. I'd say it's worth at least two years of not having to make another animation again, especially like this one! *Looks at initial date it was posted* Oh, um, well... nevermind. Anyways, phenomenal job, Camus, at reminding people of Vector's overwhelming charm and justifiable swagger.

ICam2k responds:

I mean, I did see singular artists make re-animations of this part of the movie that had more fluid movement, so I suppose the point still stands. I would at least agree that they're not 1/1 recreations though. Treasure Island is the kind of movie that earns respect for having it's own style.
"Camus", hmmm, why does that name sound dignifying and familiar at the same tim- *Camus is Arle's senior in Madou Monogatari I (Mega Drive)* - Puyo Puyo Nexus 2024...huh. Guess I'll take it then.
Thanks nonetheless, did justice indeed in a while. lol

[Not Mario, nor good]

All of these are wonderful. My favorite is the bottom corner where they're bullying the koopa with a combination attack as if they were in a Mario RPG. This is like a recap to an episode of the Super Show I now wish was being rebooted. Also, the first image makes me believe that all they had to do to become proper doppelgangers was put on a pair of Mario Bros. caps and, like giving a Super Crown to Toadette, their exaggerated features were suddenly hidden under the red and green disguises.

ICam2k responds:

Thanks a ton! My favourite is a double whammy. One being in the castle's hallways because of the background (albeit slightly wonky in perspective, plus gotta appreciate Wario's crying laughter upon witnessing coins sprinkling all around off of a squealing mushroom retainer) and the one with Daisy, for the song as I stated, but also mainly for the "Muda s name" line. Remember someone catching that a loving so much during the initial posting. I still love all of these though, they've been really fun to draw.
Pretty sure that's the trick. If only Cappy could possess such an ability as this... I wonder.
Maan, I still can't over the fact that Toadette is all in cahoots with Wario of all people (well, besides Waluigi and most of his peers from the WarioWare.) thanks to Mario Party. Really shows how such little hidden details can change people's perceptions. Gotta love spinoffs.

[Just 1 year ago]

I don't know anyone here outside of Deep Cut but look at them! I zoomed in to see the cute little patterns of their clothes, the shoe laces, the spots and markings on their bodies. All the detail work is impressive. There's even some minor reactionary posing from those near one another. Usually, larger stuff like this is just a bunch of individual pieces with generic posing plopped together side-by-side with no indication that they are aware of anyone around them. It's not necessary to do that, of course, but it's definitely appreciated. Honestly, the only thing missing here is a background. I would have imagined them standing together out in the street of the city place (I don't know the name) these games occur in with the inkling in the back looking like they are popping their head out from a manhole/drain of some sort.

Careful. You're really setting up some high expectations for that Wario piece, you know.

[Several steps in 2 years]

Game's only been out for two years and it's already ending? For an online experience, that seems kind of brief. Then again, I played WoW and it has the opposite problem of not knowing when to stop. Reads as though you got your money's worth, at least, and the art provided is a beautiful sendoff to that moment in your life. Maybe another will arrive soon after the next console (or this comment will age poorly. IDK), and, if it does, we can only hope... for more Pearl! YEAH! Pearl is the best one! Headbutt all who oppose her mighty forehead!

Ahem, this is appropriately colorful. Big Man looks to be bleeding to death. He might need help. I do not know the three in the front, so I zoomed in on the image and noticed a fourth one... a weird fishy thing. I'm sure they're all important to the story or lore but I only know of the music and the names of some of the characters. There's lots of neat little details here and I can't fully appreciate them because I've not played the games (I'm sorry about that).

ICam2k responds:

It does stink yes, but nothing to be let down. I can cherish it at least. Although it makes me wonder me why they didn't go further with 1 more year to make 3 years total? You know, because there's alot of 3 theming.
Joking aside, it depends what direction they'll go. I feel like they got everything down. There's not much to follow with as far as I'm concerned. But I'm willing to at least see how the series unfolds after.
I can already hear all the bonking and shouting going on in the distance. lol (it's funny though, she IS in fact my favourite character besides BigMan, but I do enjoy seeing these jokes)

He probably ate a sandwich only to find out that the crab wasn't cleaned off properly, so thorns that cover up its body end up stabbing his insides.
Makes me wish Newgrounds would extend the tag limit a bit just so I wouldn't specify much, but to put it shortly, they's Sonic, Tails, Knuckles andOmochao.
Anyhow, the names are kind of like leftovers, there's Veronika (Y), Hirooooo (B) (that's literally his name lol) Anemone1 (R). The little fish is a Smallfry (the smaller Salmonid) called Lil'Buddy. They're technically more like mascots for the third game, it felt aproprate to include them here.
Heey, don't worry, I get you. Not everyone can have the time or opportunity to get to play most games. I have that problem too. heh

[What's with this lush?]

Wow. This is what I expect to see on a graphic tee (you probably know the ones) being offered during a charity event, like SGDQ. Hell, I'd probably a shirt with this on it. I adore Luigi's expression, too, because I can totally see him being the type to feel confident about any style he chooses to wear outside of his normal attire, even if that attire is currently screaming "Yes, we are definitely tourists!" SMB2 is my favorite 2D Mario game, so any inspiration from it is always welcomed as far as I'm concerned! The goonies are a nice touch, but they seem more beach-themed than jungle. Probably could have swapped them out for Grinders (the monkeys) or lined it with some spikey Piranha plants but neither is as cute as the birds.

Kiss FM sounds familiar. I probably explored it alongside several other online stations over the years. The best radio I ever found used to be through itunes until they gutted the feature and replaced it with sterilized, in-house radio focused on promoting only music you could buy from their store. Now, I just listen to stuff from my parents CD collection (or whats left of it), remixes, and meme tunes. NG Radio offers a surprise or two when I leave it on for a few hours, as well. If you've got any music recommendations, feel free to share.

ICam2k responds:

Well isn't that honoring. I'll see if could pitch these if I need to.
He probably would do that as soon as he puts those pairs on. heh
You have no idea how much joy that brings me reading this. SMB3 may be considered as THE Mario game, even World, but I'll always love SMB2 the most. I remember playing this a lot and would still love to once I get to replay it. All four of the characters have both pros and cons that actually end providing different campaign experiences (to which they're all fun), the very idea of throwing away items like vegetables or even enemies as means of both attack and platforming (the level with the Albatoss is such good example) is engaging, uderrated even, the world of Subcon is the most whimsical and fun one I've seen, the enemies, while simplistic, are creative in many ways, I even love the bosses. The "All Stars" version makes the game's setting even better too, hence the inspiration. Yume Kōjō or not, it's an absolutely amazing Mario game for me.
I definitely could've picked some better contenders. My mind just somehow thought of goonies and went with it. I wouldn't mind the spiky Piranha plants though.

I do have recommendations, but I got like a bunch listed, so it'll probably take me forever to show them all. I could hand out five though.
Black - Wonderful Life
Terence Trent D'Arby - If You All Get to Heaven
Dr. Alban - Let the Beat Go on
Spandau Ballet - True

(actually I lied about being 5 out there, here's a bonus that I moreso stumbled upon on accident: Lyle Mays - Chorinho)

[Set up before it's Hot]

Well, congratulations to 2022 Cami for graduating. I hope student loans there are not an issue and she is not swimming in debt for the next ten-to-forever years of her life paying them off.

Poor Eggman not looking very sunny side up at the moment. You'd think he would already have an invention to keep himself from becoming fried. Meanwhile, it's pretty interesting to choose Madonna here instead of the usual Rogue, Sally, or Amy among the beachgoers. Refreshing, even. Also, is that boogie board a reference to the Sonic OVA?

ICam2k responds:

She'll probably do just fine. I believe it.
He did install a cooling fan right next to his Egg Mobile's driving wheel. It's not strong enough to spare him from the dog days unfortunately. I just think she has some potential given her design, especially since she looks like she could fit in the world filled with cartoon critters (something in which '06 failed to do). Although she certainly doesn't crush on the blue blur here like the concept doodles seem to imply. That would be rather odd. I'm still thinking of fleshing her out some more like the rest of Sonic's Bands members, but from where she stands, she's somewhat like April O'Neil from TMNT.
You got it indeed. Pretty nifty looking one at that.

[Super Bros and Others]

I can see why it would be a popular piece. Aside from being fanart of some of the most popular characters in video games, the overall work is bright, colorful, and charmingly stylized. The only thing I dislike (i.e. respect) is how Mario has the same sarcastically-happy look I put on whenever a co-worker steps into the kitchen to vent to me about something trivial and I am too tired/busy to be supportive. I've literally done that pose, too... hands on hips, mouth wide open, cross-eyed stare. It doesn't usually help the situation.

ICam2k responds:

Yeah, I guess I can see that. heh
Ah maan, that can't be the type of smile they're expecting to see. I suppose it's best to just give at least a slight smile if it's the case. Or maybe just tell to take a mug of coffee, who knows.

[Demon Hunter (Playing Card)]

Always a sucker for art that extends past the the card frame. The effects look so cool for the rotating version of it, too. The card description though is kind of dull.